CEBL HANDS OUT 2021 AWARDS AT CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND

The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced its 2021 CEBL Award winners on Wednesday evening as part of the 2021 Championship Weekend in Edmonton. Edmonton Stingers guard Xavier Moon took top honours, winning his third CEBL Player of the Year award, while Lindell Wigginton was named Canadian Player of The Year.

All CEBL Award winners receive a customized ring from Jostens, the official Supplier of Awards and Rings to the CEBL.

The award winners were as follows:

Clutch Player of the Year: Lindell Wigginton (Hamilton)
U SPORTS Player of the Year: Lloyd Pandi (Niagara)
Sixth Man of the Year: Adika Peter-McNeilly (Edmonton)
Defensive Player of the Year: Brandon Gilbeck (Fraser Valley)
Canadian Player of the Year: Lindell Wigginton (Hamilton)
Player of the Year: Xavier Moon (Edmonton)
Coach of the Year: Jermaine Small (Edmonton)

Xavier Moon led the Edmonton Stingers in most statistical categories en route to capturing his third consecutive CEBL Player of the Year award. In thirteen games, Moon averaged 22.9 points, 4.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.1 steals while shooting 51.9 percent from the field, and 50 percent from beyond the arc. The six-foot-two guard ranked first in the league in scoring average, third in assists per game, and third in steals per game while finishing second in total points scored. Moon’s 2021 season also included several record-breaking performances as he set a new league record for most points in a single quarter (26), and single game (39).

In his first season, Hamilton Honey Badgers guard Lindell Wigginton cemented himself as one of the top players in the CEBL as he won Canadian Player of the Year honours. The Dartmouth, Nova Scotia native claimed the CEBL scoring title after leading the league in total points scored (309). Wigginton also ranked second in scoring average (22.1), fifth in assists per game (4.4) and second in three-pointers made while leading the Honey Badgers to a 9-5 record.

Establishing himself as one of the league’s premier interior defenders, Fraser Valley’s Brandon Gilbeck took Defensive Player of the Year honours. The seven-foot import forward led the league in blocks per game (2.8) and finished fourth in the league in rebounds per game (7.7). Gilbeck’s contributions on the defensive end further helped the Bandits finish first in the league in blocks per game (3.9) and rebounds per game (38.0).

Earning a reputation as one of the top closers in the league, Honey Badgers Guard Lindell Wigginton added to his awards tally as he won the Clutch Player of the Year award. Wigginton had a league-leading six Elam Enders during the 2021 season, capping two-thirds of Hamilton’s victories. Edmonton teammates Marlon Johnson and Xavier Moon were both top finalists for the award. Johnson finished the season with five Elam Enders, while Moon finished the season with four.

Lloyd Pandi has won U SPORTS Player of the Year for the second consecutive year after putting together a productive season for the Niagara River Lions. The third-year guard from Carleton averaged 7.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 14 appearances for the River Lions. The commerce major ranked fifth on the team in field goal percentage (46.3%) and second in three-point percentage (42%).

Adika Peter-McNeilly captured the inaugural Sixth Man of the Year award. The Edmonton guard averaged 10.3 points, 2.4 assists, and 2.2 rebounds through 13 games for the Stingers this season. Despite being a non-starter, Peter-McNeilly also ranked fifth on the Stingers in minutes played per game (21) and third in three-point percentage (39%).

Jermaine Small won the CEBL Coach of the Year award for the second consecutive season. After coaching Edmonton to a CEBL Championship in 2020, Small and the Stingers resumed their winning ways in 2021. The Stingers led the league in points per game (91.4), assists per game (22.4), and rebounds per game (38.5) on their way to a first-place record of 13-1. The Stingers also proved to be the best home team in the CEBL after going 7-0 at the Expo Centre, winning those games by an average margin of 15.0 points.

The 2021 CEBL semifinals are set to begin Friday when the Niagara River Lions take on the Fraser Valley Bandits at 5 pm MT / 7 pm ET. The second semifinal will commence at 7:30 pm MT / 9:30 pm ET when the Edmonton Stingers take on the Ottawa BlackJacks. All games will be held at Hall D of the Expo Centre. The CEBL Championship game will be played Sunday, August 22 starting at 2 pm MT/4 pm ET.

Details for 2021 Championship Weekend as well as tickets can be found here.

All Championship Weekend games will be broadcasted live nationally on CBC TV and will also be available for live streaming on the CEBL’s new OTT streaming service CEBL+, cbcsports.ca, the free CBC Gem streaming service, the CBC Sports App for iOS and android devices, and on Twitch.